Cheongju Korean restaurant for charcoal gochujang pork: Ttukbangjip

So many new great restaurants have been opening in Cheongju lately! I am totally, absolutely here for it~ But recently, while passing near Musimcheon Stream—you know that super-famous cherry blossom road?—I spotted a new restaurant there!!

Wow... Every time I passed by, I had been keeping an eye on this place because the parking, location, and view all looked so good. And now a new restaurant had opened here, a great spot for a meal in Seongan-dong! But get this... it is a charcoal-grilled meat place. They only serve lunch. They grill all the meat for you. How could I possibly not go? I made a lunch date immediately and went!!!

Ttukbangjip location and lunch hours

• Location: 435 Musimseo-ro, 1st floor, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do
• Hours: 11:00–15:00 (lunch service only♡)
• Restroom: Inside the restaurant, separate for men and women
• Parking: Dedicated parking available in front of the restaurant

There are lots of dedicated parking spaces right in front of the restaurant—enough for more than five cars! The road itself is one-way, so when parking, I only had to watch for approaching cars; and when leaving, again, only approaching cars. I found it incredibly convenient~!

The large sign outside made it easy to spot exactly where it was~

There is a deck outside, and when I came out by the sign reading “Ttukbangjip,” oh my gosh... the owner was continuously grilling meat over charcoal here!!!!!!! Wow... Even while I was eating, I kept wondering, “Where is the owner grilling it?” It was hot out, too! They grilled it outside and sent it straight inside, dish after dish~ Maybe that is why they only do lunch service at this Seongan-dong restaurant!

A retro interior overlooking Musimcheon Stream

Once inside, the building was surprisingly broad and almost square-shaped!

If you sit on the Musimcheon side like this, the whole stretch of the stream opens up before you, so the view was really lovely.

There were seats on the other side too, and these also had floor-to-ceiling windows with a wide-open view!! This side overlooks the houses below and feels so open—I really wanted to sit here too, haha.

Overall, the music and atmosphere had a retro feel! Songs from the ’70s through ’90s kept playing, and the interior was full of retro vibes~ ><

There were aprons around the restaurant too, so you can conveniently grab one each!

Ordering charcoal-grilled gochujang pork and the review event

Okay~ Shall we look at the menu? Ttukbangjip has one main menu: charcoal-grilled gochujang pork! You can choose only the gochujang flavor, and everything comes fully grilled on a plate~ So just order the meat according to the number of people!

There were side dishes besides the main menu, and lots of reviews said the kimchi-mal-i guksu (cold noodles in kimchi broth) paired wonderfully with the meat! But... this kimchi noodle dish was ₩6,000, and they had an event where you got it free just for writing a Naver review???!!!!! Oh my goodness, so I wrote a review and got it for free, haha.

• Charcoal-grilled gochujang pork for 2: ₩28,000
• 2 bowls of rice: ₩2,000
• Review event: kimchi-mal-i guksu

Cheonggukjang that surprised me before the banchan even did

Once you order, they set the table for you~ Even the first drink they brought was not plain water but cool barley tea, so it was pleasantly nutty!

And then came the basic side dishes! Whoa!!!!!! Just looking at the vegetable-focused banchan (Korean side dishes), I thought, “Ah, older diners are going to love this 100 percent.” And sure enough, the seasoning was not heavy; everything was mild and so easy to eat~

Next came pajeori, the seasoned scallion side dish! It was nicely sweet and tangy, haha.

I... was genuinely shocked by this. Do not be shocked, okay??? They give you cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) as the basic soup... Just look at all those ingredients;;;;;;;:

Right from the moment it arrived, I gasped because the earthenware bowl was so huge...

I mean, even when you order cheonggukjang by itself at a cheonggukjang restaurant, they do not put in this many ingredients... If you give out soup like this as a basic, owner, are you making anything at all.... And then I mixed rice into it and cleared the whole bowl, hahaahahaha. Honestly, I do not usually even like cheonggukjang that much (is that a lie..), but I think I ate this cheonggukjang so, so happily. It was delicious!!!!

Yes... this was complimentary too. The review eventtt.. At this point I was wondering if this was even okay, haha. The noodles were so plump and chewy, and they went beyond simply pairing well with the charcoal-grilled gochujang pork—they were crazy good together??

Funny thing is, I have not even introduced the self-service bar yet, but I have been rambling on about the basic side dishes alone, haha. All the banchan I showed you earlier can be refilled at the self-service bar! You can keep refilling the wrap vegetables too, so just take as much extra as you will eat : )

Charcoal-grilled gochujang pork packed with smoky flavor

Here is the main charcoal-grilled gochujang pork! I am only just showing you the main dish now, hahaha.

Ahh... A staff member plates up the meat the owner grills outside and brings it right over~ As the meat arrives, it just keeps shouting “charcoal,” “charcoal,” “smoky,” “charcoal,” “smoky,” “charcoal”—that aroma is wafting everywhere~~~~ It overwhelms you with the scent, and the smoky flavor in the taste is no joke either!!! I could tell from the first bite... I am so glad I got in early before this place takes off by word of mouth ^^ haha.

Seriously, with the cheonggukjang soup, kimchi noodle dish, and the signature charcoal-grilled gochujang pork all tasting like this, I think it could become one of the most famous restaurants along Musimcheon Stream;;; Choosing to serve lunch only may have been the best choice.. The owner is going to get soooo busyㅠㅠbb It is just too delicious!!

Since it was gochujang-grilled meat, I worried a little: would it be too spicy? Or, on the other hand, would the sauce be too sweet? But it was reallllllly the ultimate savory gochujang flavor. Not too spicy, salty, or sweet—just gochujang-grilled meat absolutely loaded with smoky flavor.

The meat was so good that I kept making ssam (leaf wraps) with it, and it paired especially well with perilla leaves!

The kimchi noodle dish was simply an ultimate special move. Just... I really think I will come here often. I need to make sure I arrive in time for lunch!!!

Only four hours of lunch service, so check the time

It was so delicious that I wolfed it down, and hardly any time had passed when I came out! I finished an absolute food-pushing session in no time, haha. The banner outside says clearly that they are open for only four hours, so make sure you check the time before going!

The cheonggukjang soup was so good, and above all, I saw the owner working so hard grilling the meat outside~ The food was excellent, the staff inside were incredibly kind, and because it is a new restaurant, it was so clean. Plus, Musimcheon Stream is right out front!!! For flavor, atmosphere, views, reasonable prices, and service, I do not think there is a better restaurant for a meal in Seongan-dong. Anyway, I plan to come often, haha—let's eat something delicious together!

My nickname, “Juinjang,” at the restaurant??? Hahahahaha